School district fires teacher elected to Mo. House

WELDON SPRING, Mo. (AP) — A Republican state representative from St. Charles County has been fired from his teaching job, and he plans to sue the district over his dismissal.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/10BZDss ) reports that education board members of the Francis Howell School District in St. Charles County met in closed session Monday and voted to dismiss Bryan Spencer. The district had previously refused to grant him unpaid leave of absence while he serves in the Legislature.

Spencer’s attorney says it is wrong to punish someone for successfully seeking public office. But school district attorney Cindy Ormsby says there is no constitutional right to hold two jobs at one time. She denied that the board action had anything to do with Spencer’s political affiliation.